Safety ash tray



Jan. 29, 1935. c. T. FOWLER 1,989,354

SAFETY An TRAY Filed June 26, 1933 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor 6242 67266 Zi'azzrZar;

Patented Jan. 29, 1935 PATENT OFFICE SAFETY ASH TRAY Clarence T. Fowler, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application June 26, 1933, Serial No. 677,732

4Claims. (Cl. 131-51) This invention relates to a safety ash tray, the general object of the invention being to provide means whereby it is practically impossible for a lighted cigarette-or cigar to be so placed in the tray that it will drop therefrom and burn a support upon which the tray is placed.

Another object of the invention is to .provide means whereby the tray can be easily and quickly cleaned and a cigarette or cigar can be lifted from the supporting means of the tray without danger of one being burned by another cigarette or cigar supported by the tray.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means whereby there is but little chance of ashes in the tray being blown therefrom by a draft from an open window or a fan.

Another object of the invention is to so form the parts that it is practically impossible to support a cigarette or cigar on any part of the device, excepting -the recessed parts, the recesses ofv which are designed to receive portions of the cigars or cigarettes.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accom-' panying drawings and specifically. pointed out in the appended claims. v

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings where- -in likecharacters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of one form of the invention. v

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a section online 33 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view showing the stepped construction. of the recess for holding the cigarette or cigar.

Figure 5 is a top plan view showing another form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6--6 of Figure 5. Figure 7 is a sectional detail view showing how the edges of the walls of the recess shown in Figure 6 may be corrugated or toothed..

Figure B is a section on line 8-8 of Figure 5. Figure 9 is a section on line 99 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a section on line 1010 of Figfan and by making the walls high, a cigarette or cigar placed therein with a portion restingagainst the upper edge of the tray cannot tip therefrom and drop upon the table or other support upon which the tray is placed, which would 5 result in burning of the table or support or a cover placed thereon. The major portion of the bottom of the tray is raised, as shown at 2, so

as to leave or form a. ring-shaped supporting part 3 which will enable the tray to set on a 19 table or other support with but little danger of being tilted over even though the surface on which it is placed is not perfectly flat.

A standard 4 rises from the central portion of the part 2, well above'the top of the tray, and has a bowed handle 5 connected to its top part, this handle being of substantially oval shape in cross section or in end view, as shown in Figure 3, so that a cigarette or cigar cannot be placed thereon and so that ashes or dust cannot collect thereon and this shape also makes the handle easy to clean. The handle tapers outwardly from its central portion so that it can be readily engaged by the hand and that part of the standard to' which it is connected curves outwardly and downwardly tothe main {part of the standard, as shown at 6, so that this part of the device can be seized between the fingers and thumb of a hand, if desired.

A number of horizontally arranged bars 7 have their inner ends connected with the standard and the major portions of these bars are located within the tray, and each bar has a wedgeshaped lower edge, as shown at 8, with its outer end pointed, as shown at 9, so that a cigarette or cigar cannot be placed on these end portions and this shaped and and wedge-shaped lower edge enablesthese parts to be easily cleaned and pre-- vents the collection of dust or ashes thereon. The upper portion of each bar has a recess 10 therein for receiving a cigarette or cigar and this recess can be provided with the stepped side walls 11, as

shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, or itmay be formedv with the diverging side walls, as shown, at 12 in v Figure 8. The recess may also be formed with 5 a reduced lower part, as shown at 13 in Figures 3, 4, 6 and 8, and the corners of the stepped parts can be rounded, as shown at 11' in Figure 4, to make these parts easy to clean. I

The divergingwalls of the recess'may be of concaved form, as shown at 14 in Figures 6 and 10 and the side edges of these walls may be corrugated or toothed, as shown at 15in Figure 7.

As many of these supporting bars can be used as desired, Figures 1, 2 and 3 showing a pair of such bars which are arranged at right angles to the handle so that the handle will prevent one being burned by a cigarette supported in one recess, while he is picking up a cigarette from the other recess.. Figures 5, '8 and 9 show four supporting bars, and in these figures, the bars are of angle shape and extend from thecomers of a hollow body 4' which constitutes the standard and the upper end of which is formed of knob shape, as shown at 5' to form a handle. An upwardly extending projection 16 is formed on each bar and is so located that it will prevent one being burned by a cigarette supported on one bar while he is picking up a cigarette or cigar from an adjacent bar, as shown in Figure 5.

The stepped form of recess, shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, will support different sizes of cigarettes or cigars, as will the recess provided with upwardly diverging side walls, shown more particularly in Figure 8, and by making these walls of concaved shape, as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 10, the burning of the cigarette or cigar placed therebetween will be slowed down without the cigarette or cigar being extinguished and this shape of recess will hold the cigarette or cigar from falling off the bar even when the tray is in a draft or current of air created by a fan or the like. Of course, the corrugated form shown in Figure 7 will more securely hold the cigarette or cigar than the form not provided with such corrugations.

The tray should be of such size that even if the cigarette or cigar should drop from the recess, it would fall into the tray, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5. The stepped form of recess will also act to hold the cigarette or cigar in place even. when unbalanced by the burning of one end of the cigarette as the corners will set up a slight wedge action to hold the article in place, as shown in Figures 3 and-4.

The handle and bars can be made of decora-.

tive design, if desired, to make the tray more attractive, but in all cases the device should be so formed that no part thereofcan support a cigarette or cigar except in the recessed part and the device should be formed so that it will not collect dust and can be easily cleaned.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

"ing from the central portion of the bottom part of the tray, a handle at the upper end of the standard and bars extending outwardly from the standard and each having a recess therein for holding a cigarette or a cigar, the upper edge of the tray being of little width to prevent a cigar or ciga-.

tween the cigarettesor cigars supported in the recesses, whereby a cigarette or cigar in one recess cannot burn the hand which is used to pick up a cigar or cigarette in another recess during the picking up operation.

2. An ash tray of the class described comprising an upright, a bar extending horizontally therefrom and having a cigarette or cigar supporting recess in its upper part, said recess having upwardly diverging walls, said walls being of concaved shape in cross section.

3. An ash tray of the class described comprising a tray part, a standard rising from the bottom of the tray part, a number of horizontally arranged bars connected to the standard, each bar having a cigar or cigarette supporting recess in its upper part and projections supported from the standard for preventing a cigarette or cigar in one recess from burning one picking up the cigarette or cigar from the other recess.

4. -An ash tray of the class described compris-r ing a tray having a raised bottom part spaced from the side walls thereof with said side walls bowed outwardly and of considerable height, a standard rising from the central portion of the raised part and having a handle at its upper end, said handle having its upper surface sloping downwardly'and outwardly to prevent an object "being placed thereon, a number of horizontally arranged bars connected with the standard and each having a cigar or cigarette supporting recess in its, upper edge, an upstanding projection on each bar in alignment with a recess in an adja- It is to be understood that changes may be made r-cent bar whereby a cigarette or cigar in one recess cannot burn one picking up a cigar or cigarette in another recess, said tray being of a size to prevent a cigar or cigarette dropping from a recess from falling out of the tray, each recess being so formed as to slightly clamp a cigarette or cigar placed therein.

. CLARENCE T. FOWLER. 

